Did you know there’s a Stonehenge in the USA too?
If you are familiar with the history of England, you would definitely know about Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument located in the country’s Wiltshire region, more specifically the Salisbury Plain. Stonehenge consists of a series of vertical stones standing in an outer ring and made out of sarsen (silicified sandstone, only native to England). All of them are approximately 13 feet tall and 7 feet wide each, connected together by horizontally placed lintel stones. Inside the circle, there are free-standing trilithons (two large vertical stones supporting a third stone set horizontally above) as well as bluestones. Now majorly ruined, historians and archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was built around 3000 to 2000 B.C. and was a burial site for the British, especially meant for war heroes.
Now that you have a clear idea of what Stonehenge is, it is time for us to surprise you. Turns out, there is a Stonehenge in the USA too and it is called Foamhenge. Here’s all you need to know about it.
Built as an April Fool’s stunt
Situated in Natural Bridge, Virginia, Foamhenge is an exact replica of England’s Stonehenge that was both conceived, designed and constructed by an American artist Mark Cline. It was inaugurated on 1st April 2004.
What’s interesting about its development is that, it was meant as an April Fool’s Day stunt in order to attract roadside tourism for Natural Bridge. For those unaware, Natural Bridge is a geological formation in Virginia that comprises of a natural arch having a high of 215 feet and spread across 90 feet. It often looks like the mouth of a cave or a tunnel and is located within a gorge carved out of hilly terrain along the local Cedar creek.
As it happened, Mark Cline, who was a native of the area, wanted to attract tourists from all across the country to come and visit the marvel that Natural Bridge is. Thus, he ended up building the Foamhenge.
However, the idea was conceived much before in 1998 when Cline was visiting a local insulation manufacturer for work and found 16 feet tall foam blocks lying around. With the idea and materials at hand, all Cline needed now was a design. Fortunately, he had also travelled to England around the same time and was mesmerised by the Stonehenge. Thereafter, it didn’t take him long to acquire the land, and within six more years, Foamhenge was a reality.
Foamhenge shifts to Centreville in Virginia
Foamhenge was built exactly in the model of Stonehenge with same-sized stones and astronomical orientation. However, unlike Stonehenge, Foamhenge, as the name suggests, was made out of styrofoam and was then painted grey. However, to offer a concrete foundation, a limestone base was constructed on which the Foamhenge was embedded. Interestingly, it only took 10 days for Foamhenge to be built as opposed to Stonehenge that was built throughout thousand years.
However, Foamhenge had to be relocated in 2017 as the foam pieces were starting to wear off due to overexposure to moderate climate and the temporary nature of its construction. As a result, in August 2016, the entire structure was dismantled from its original location, and placed in storage, until it was repaired and repainted and moved to Centreville in Virginia. However, people visiting the Natural Bridge are often directed towards Foamhenge. In fact, a shortcut through the mountains has been recently built by the US government to keep both the structures interlinked forever.